A&E A&E
RAMAPO NEWS
Black and Sexy Page 8
THE
Women’s Volleyball Page 13
A Publication by the Students for the Ramapo College Community
11.10.2011
Mahwah Elects New Mayor Amidst Mall Debate
photo by Stefanie Mauro
Since so many locals petitioned against plans to build a mall in Mahwah, the town decided to open up a referendum along with Tuesdayʼs election. See the full story on page 2.
Student Groups Host Discussion on 99% Protests By KAITLIN McGUINNES S Web Editor
On Monday, Nov.7 at 9 p.m., more than 50 students gathered in the Trustees Pavilion to discuss the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. The event was held by six different student groups: Lambda Beta Phi, Model UN, Mu Sigma Epsilon, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Lambda Theta Alpha and Omega Phi Beta. Several students who had been down to Wall Street to find out about the protests organized the event. Seniors Gabriel Lora, Almer Martins and Lambda Theta Alpha
W
EEKEND
SPORTS
president Jorge Ruiz, as well as freshman Danielle Corcione, led the discussion. Ruiz felt that it is important to for students to investigate and discuss current events because the mainstream media is not always reliable. “The one percent is in charge of everything that goes down, what’s explained to us,” he said. Martins said that he didn’t want the discussion to be about the one percent versus the 99 percent, although that is the message emanating from the Wall Street movement. Rather, he felt that the movement involves everyone and
W
should be about engaging with each other. “I don’t want to put the emphasis on class warfare,” Martins said. “I don’t think this is a movement about separating others from myself. It’s about being heard.” According to Martins, the Occupy Wall Street movement has emerged in response to a system that favors one percent of Americans. “To qualify for the one percent,” Martins said, “you have to make more than $506,000 a year.” “The game of capitalism is to gain wealth,” he continued. “We’ve reached a point when capitalism has created a cancer within itself.”
EATHER FRI
High 61 Low 34
According to Ruiz, Wall Street is to blame for the current economic situation because it lost 20 percent of the U.S.’s wealth that was accumulated over a century by “playing with money.” The speakers listed ways to get involved in and find out more about the movement, including using social media, bringing it up in class and traveling down to Wall Street. Others in the audience felt that the Occupy Wall Street protestors lacked a clear focus, or had too
SAT
see OCCUPY page 2 High 41 Low 23
SGA Aims to Keep Campus Up to Par XLII No. 9
By CANDACE MITCHELL Staff Writer Starting next week, the Student Government Association will be offering students rides in golf carts across campus in exchange for their input on life at Ramapo College. Every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., SGA members will take any student to class in a golf cart if that student is willing to answer a few questions or give some comments about life at the College. SGA President Steven Wiltbank wants to begin by asking the students if they know what SGA is and what the organization does. “We want the students to understand what SGA is and what we do for the college and that we represent them and the rest of the student body to better student life,” he said. SGA wants to use the golf carts as a direct connection from students to SGA so that SGA can then go and voice the problems of the students to the various departments and organizations at the College. “We have direct connections and liasons to different parts of the College, so if a student has concerns with the dining hall or public safety we want to know because we can help,” Wiltbank said. Senate President Kevin Cottino, the program’s organizer, explains that SGA wants to know concerns of students outside of the organization. “We are hoping to gain more outside student input from students who wouldn’t know where else to go to voice their concerns,” Cottino said.
see SGA on page 6
SUN
High 44 Low 23